Consistent strike zone
 

I'm in my third year of umpiring. I've had the plate quite a few times, and I feel I have a well-established strike zone (fairly large). My problem is that I find myself being inconsistent, especially high and low. I used to use a strict box stance and found myself calling low pitches quite often. Last year I switched to the GD and found that seeing low pitches is much easier. However, it is still a problem. Anyone have any advice for becoming more consistent with knee-high pitches? Is it just a matter of gaining experience, or is there something I can change when I work tomorrow?

Without seeing you work this is a difficult question to answer.

Several questions come to mind.

(1) Are you watching the ball all the way to F2's mitt?
(2) Are you keeping your head still?
(3) Are you getting a good view of the plate?
(4) Is your timing good? Are you waiting/reading the pitch before making the call?
(5) You say you use the GD Stance, I'd need to see how you set up. Is your stance consistent? How's your head height, etc.

I would recommend that you find an experienced umpire in your area to evaluate you during an actual game. Attend a clinic where you can receive some instruction. Especially if you're using the GD Stance, it takes getting used to (I use it & like it).

Good Luck

Have someone watch you. I would guess that you are moving your head while tracking pitches - this moves the strike zone.

Thanks a lot!

Matt- make sure you are locking in at the same position every time so you get the same look at the pitch every time. You can more easily get an idea of where the pitch is if you view the pitch the same way every time.

You have to work higher in the GD Stance. The trade-off is getting a longer look at the ball because you are standing about 3' behind F2 (You also save your knees).

My guess is that you are not following the pitch all the way. Maybe moving you're head too much or moving your entire body. At lower levels of baseball some umpires tend to move too much out of fear that F2 will not catch the ball. A couple of weeks ago I filled in for a friend working 2 Mustang division (Pony) games. I had balls bouncing off me all day (at least they don't throw very hard).:)

Like I said it's impossible to tell for sure unless I see you work. Bottom line you need to have someone look at you and work with you.

If you are using the GD properly, you will "lock in" in the same exact position on every pitch. Head height is a function of the width of your stance.

Several problems may be causing your low pitch issue. 1) Head movement 2) Failure to track pitch or 3) setting up TOO CLOSE to the catcher, in effect hiding behind the catcher, so that his head is blocking your view. You don't say if its the low outside pitch or just low pitch in general is the problem.

Bob P.

I think that as the others have said one of the things that might be giving you problems is you not tracking the ball all the way to the mitt. The other, and maybe more significant problem might be that you're not setting up far enough into the slot. Often times when I see a partner struggle with low borderline pitches it's because they're too close to being over the top of the catcher. This causes them to lose a certain amount of depth perception as they look directly down over the plate. Try moving further over into the slot and see if that helps you with the elevation of the lower pitches.


Tim.

Bob-
It's not necessarily low and away, just pitched down I'm having trouble with.

Bob and Tim, thanks for the advice.

Matt, if its just low pitches in general, then I bet you are not following the ball all the way to the catcher's glove. You might be having "tunnel vision", where you only see the pitch in a certain area, and not all the way through the zone. Another possibility is flinching, where you are anticipating a ball in the dirt.

As was said, have someone watch you. Your best bet would be to have someone who uses the GD do it. They will quickly be able to pick up where your eyes lose track of the ball while it is in flight.

Bob P.

I had this exact problem when I started. I didnt even realize I was only tracking the pitch until it got to the plate and not to the glove, so pitches at the knee looked low.

Knee high pitches are strikes. Pitches that come in just below the knee, in the hollow beneath the knee cap are strikes. Call the bottom of the zone as it should be called. Any pitch that comes in low and the catcher jerks his glove, or catches underhand, or has difficulty catching is a ball. The catcher's method of catching each pitch is an indicator to reinforce what you saw.

In my limited experience...

95% of the umpires I observed, or worked with, that had inconsistent zones, also had timing issues.

Snap judgments, even if you wait to make your call, will kill you every time. My guess, even though you feel your timing is good, is that your are making your decision too quickly.

Try this timing / mechanic;

1) Look at each batter before the first pitch to them, and visualize your high and low limits for their zone. Remember, Top and Bottom changes for every batter. Error to the LOW side for BOTH Top & Bottom.

2) Look the pitch all the way into the catcher's glove, without moving your head.

3) Ask yourself, did the catcher catch the ball ?

4) Ask yourself, was it a Strike. Don't worry about asking yourself if it was a Ball. If it wasn't a Strike, it's a ball by default. You ask if it is a Strike, because we are looking for Strikes.

5) Click off what you think the pitch was on your Indicator, if you use one.

6) Make your call.

And keep this in mind; If you don't hear someone, anyone, make a comment about how slow you are to make your pitch calls, your probably working too fast (for an amateur). Don't try to mimic the timing of Pro umpires. They are working in a completely different world than we do, with a different set of rules.

DG, couldn't agree with you more !

Here is what I tell umpires who have trouble calling low pitches to do.

Watch Baseball Tonight. Instead of looking at how many low pitches are called strikes, look at how many low pitches are hit cleanly, and usually for extra bases.

The main reason umpires have trouble calling low strikes, is they don't think they are hittable. It usually only takes watching one show for the light bulb to go on.